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Emperor Naruhito gave his first speech as the new monarch of Japan on Wednesday morning, promising to fulfill his responsibilities as “the symbol of the state and the unity of the people”. Just hours after his father, Emperor Akihito, formally stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne at midnight and the new Reiwa Era dawned, Emperor Naruhito also promised to “sincerely pray for the happiness of the people and the further development of the nation, as well as the peace of the world”. The emperor also vowed to “share in the joys and sorrows of the people”, as well as expressing “heartfelt respect and appreciation” for the actions of his father.  The 59-year-old emperor was speaking shortly after attending a brief ceremony in the palace - the Kenji-to-Shokei-no-Gi - in which he accepted the imperial regalia, which signify his position as emperor. In an event that is traditionally restricted to adult male members of the imperial family and the cabinet - although Japan’s only female government minister, Satsuki Katayama, broke precedent by being in attendance - chamberlains to the imperial family entered the Matsu-no-Ma state room bearing the symbols of the emperor. Shinto priests recite religious words before entering the main building to conduct a festive ceremony to report the enthronement of the new emperor Credit:  CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP The regalia - a sword and a jewel - are inside sealed boxes that have not been opened in centuries. The third item that makes up the regalia, a mirror, is not permitted to leave Ise Shrine, in Mie Prefecture, the spiritual home of the Shinto religion. Chamberlains also presented the two seals of state to the emperor, who wore a formal suit with a red sash and a white bow tie.  Skies cleared over Tokyo on Wednesday morning, although the heavy rain overnight had not stopped countless Japanese people celebrating the arrival of the new era on the stroke of midnight.  Television footage has shown revellers dancing in the streets in the Shibuya district of Tokyo at midnight, many wearing T-shirts bearing the two characters for the name of the new era - which means “beautiful harmony”.  Thousands more braved the rain to be outside the imperial palace at midnight, with one man who had travelled from Kyoto for the occasion telling Kyodo News, “I wanted to see this place to have a special memory because this is a once-in-a-lifetime event”. People celebrate as new Emperor Naruhito's era of Reiwa, or "beautiful harmony" began early Wednesday, May 1 Credit:  Kyodo News/AP In the city of Dazaifu, in south-west Japan, more than 1,500 local people were marshalled into the shape of the characters for Reiwa, with 68-year-old Hiroshi Nabeshima saying, “I feel lucky to be part of the celebration”.  In Yamagata, five couples got married at a hotel at midnight, while hundreds of others registered their marriages at city halls within seconds of the start of the new era. Elsewhere, a fully-booked charter flight flew over Mount Fuji at dawn and local officials on Minamitorishima Island, Japan’s most easterly point, gathered on a beach to see the first sunrise of the Reiwa Era.  Japanese Emperor Akihito leaves the Chrysanthemum Throne, in pictures The new emperor and Empress Masako will make their first public appearance at the imperial palace on Saturday, greeting members of the public from a balcony.  A number of further ceremonies are scheduled for the coming months, culminating in the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi, the formal enthronement of the emperor, on October 22.

North Korea has told the US it will face “undesired consequences” if it fails to readjust its position on nuclear disarmament, in the latest of a series of warnings to Washington and its allies in recent months.  Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, earlier this month issued a year-end ultimatum to resolve stalled negotiations over the dismantlement of his nuclear and missiles programme after direct talks with Donald Trump, the US president, in Hanoi in February did not produce a deal.  The apparent dismissal of Kim’s deadline by Mr Trump and Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, has raised heckles in Pyongyang, which last week demanded Mr Pompeo be replaced in denuclearisation talks by somebody “more mature.” On Tuesday, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s foreign minister criticised a Pompeo interview last week with CBS in which he said the United States may have to “change paths” if the negotiations break down.  “Changing paths is not a privilege that only the United States has, but it could be our own choice if we make up our mind,” Ms Choe was quoted as saying by the state-sanctioned KCNA news agency.  Choe Son Hui, the vice foreign minister, issued the latest warning to the US Credit: Artyom Korotayev/TASS “If the United States fails to reestablish its position within the timeline we gave, it will see truly undesired consequences.”  She added that North Korea remained committed to denuclearisation but only if the US took a different course.  Pyongyang wants a step-by-step approach, where sanctions can be eased in exchange for dismantling some of its nuclear facilities but Mr Trump is doubling down on his demands for a “big deal” that would only grant economic relief if Kim hands over all of his nuclear weapons.  “We know the path we will take, but we’re just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States,” said Ms Choe.  North Korea has been consistently warning this year that it may disengage from diplomatic talks if no progress is made.  In his New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un said he hoped to continue denuclearisation negotiations with Mr Trump that cautioned that he could be forced to take a “new path” if the US persisted with crippling economic sanctions and “misjudges our patience” with “unilateral demands.” Pyongyang has also been ramping up its criticism of South Korea, in a sign that renewed diplomatic ties between the neighbouring countries are wearing thin.  Tick tock, that's the sound of the North Korean clock....and another nuclear weapon coming off the line. https://t.co/M0HpORGmcN— Vipin Narang (@NarangVipin) April 30, 2019 Last week the North lashed out at Seoul for its “open perfidy” participating in a joint military drill with the US, threatening that there could be a “response from our army.” Writing on the 38 North website, North Korea scholar Robert Carlin said the singling out of the South Korean “authorities” for criticism revealed a downturn in relations.   “Typically, during periods when inter-Korean dialogue is in a positive phase, the North generally keeps its complaints against the South aimed at the “military.”  The shift to direct criticism of the “authorities” is a signal of how much the atmosphere for inter-Korean dialogue has frayed,” he wrote.  Mr Pompeo, meanwhile, told Fox news he is still “hopeful” about the prospects of progress on denuclearisation but said the ball was in Pyongyang’s court.  “We’re prepared to engage in conversations to arrive at a process by which the North Koreans can see their way clear to fulfilling the commitment that Chairman Kim made back in Singapore in June of last year,” he added, referring to the first summit between the North Korean and US leaders.  That summit concluded that the two nations would “work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” but did not agree on the ways to do so.  When asked about the North Korean calls for him to be dropped from the talks, Mr Pompeo confirmed that he was still leading the US negotiating team.  “We don’t get to decide who my counterpart is, and President Trump gets to decide who will represent America,” he said.